Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine was easily the breakout star of Bryan Singer’s X-Men, a feat made all the more impressive given that the relative unknown was cast two weeks after filming had already started. Despite instantly becoming a fan favorite, though, it wasn’t until third installment The Last Stand that Jackman was awarded top billing, in what ironically turned out to be the weakest entry yet.
The actor followed that up with his first solo outing, which was arguably even worse. X-Men: Origins Wolverine still managed to pull in decent numbers at the box office, but it would be fair to say that critics and audiences didn’t greet it with much enthusiasm. However, with such a marketable and popular character at their disposal, it was inevitable that Fox would return to the well, and James Mangold’s The Wolverine marked a drastic improvement.
Loosely adapting Frank Miller’s iconic 1982 limited series, Jackman’s Logan heads to Japan at the invitation of an acquaintance he saved during World War II, before being hunted by shadowy forces and haunted by his own past. The first two thirds of The Wolverine are excellent, but the climax eventually devolves into standard superhero blockbuster territory that sees the hero facing off with a hulking pixelated enemy.
Mangold ultimately surpassed himself with Logan, one of the greatest comic book movies ever made, but The Wolverine remains a hugely enjoyable outing nonetheless. And with Disney Plus adding more and more Fox titles to the content library under the Marvel Legacy banner to bolster their lineup of spandex-clad adventures, The Wolverine will be back next month on January 1st having originally appeared in September before quietly being removed at the beginning of December for reasons that were never explained.
